Cooperative education is designed to allow you to participate in work experiences related to your area of study and/or your area of professional interest for academic credit. You can participate in structured internships offered by host organizations, or can work with an employer to design and develop one that meets the needs of both parties. It is acceptable for you in your last term of study at Johnson & Wales University to apply for and accept a professional position and to use that position for co-op if the host organization agrees to support you in the endeavor and as long as the position meets the requirements of the co-op program.
You are selected based upon meeting eligibility requirements, as well as for maturity, preparedness, and initiative. You need these traits, as the co-op program explicitly demands that you play an active and integral part in the site selection process. You are called upon to perform a wide variety of logistical and site-searching activities, which only the most ambitious, focused students will be able to handle in a professional, efficient manner. Even at that, circumstances may arise beyond the control of the University where you do not find a host site and thus are not able to participate in the co-op program.
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